And no visit to Cork would be complete without an excursion to Blarney Castle, a 15-minute drive out of town. The uppermost parapet (85 feet up) of this partially ruined stone tower (whose current structure dates back to the mid-15th century and was originally clad in white back) is famously home to the Blarney Stone, a chunk of limestone whose origin is shrouded in mystery; one legend holds that it was a piece of Scotland´s Stone of Scone, but that chunk of rock is sandstone, while geological analysis shows that this one probably came from this area. In any case, the ritual of smooching the stone supposedly endows the smoocher with "gift of gab" eloquence, and so every day tourists spend an hour winding their way up 125 narrow steps (including claustrophobically narrow passageways) to lean under the parapet - with the help of an assistant - and pucker up (that´s me doing the deed at right). It helps that along the way there are various written explanation of the castle´s various rooms and spaces to help keep us entertained.

Read more in my post Our Wonderful Recent Tour of Ireland´s "Greatest Hits."

David Paul Appell